Armed with a degree in law, Sarwat Naqvi stepped out from behind the cloak of invisibility he and his Shia Mulsim minority community in Chhattisgarh suffered from to lobby and advocate for the protection and advancement of human rights in marginalized communities. His video, ‘Homosexuals Seek an Identity’, on gay and lesbians in his community compelled members to form a…

Sarwat Naqvi

Victims of alcohol abuse In Chhattisgarh launch a firebrand grassroots movement.

About The Video: In Raipur, Chhattisgarh women whose lives and families have been unwitting victims of their husbands’ alcohol abuse have banded together to form the firebrand ‘Chingari Women’s Committee’. The Committee is on a mission to rid the state of the plague of alcohol addiction and abuse.

The State of Chhattisgarh has long been trying to tackle alcoholism that it regards as a crippling social ill but success has been limited. In the Chingari Women’s Committee it has found a worthy partner in this crusade. The Committee is currently sweeping the state and helping it identify and shut down unlicensed shops and shops that regarded as a threat to public peace and security.

Community Correspondent Says: Video Volunteers’ Community Correspondent Sarwat Naqvi says that the liquor shops are attracting unsavoury characters who indulge in loud, violent and frightening barfights and eve tease women who are passing nearby. He also feels that having bars close to schools and colleges might be a bad influence on the young. He feels that alcohol abuse and addiction is not being taken seriously and that its ill effects on poor and vulnerable households are underestimated. He congratulates the brave women of the Chingari Women’s Committee and hopes that the government listens to the women and passes strict regulations in the sale and purchase of alcohol.